Aftertaste
by dancercofd
Summary: Callie Torres left Seattle to get her head together. She's working at the U of M lab when she meets Cosima Niehaus.


A/N: This was a request on tumblr, but I had a lot of fun writing it. If you have more requests, feel free to message me:) Enjoy!

* * *

Cosima leaned over her lab table, reading the note she had found hidden in her book. She had only stepped away for a minute, so it had to be from someone in the lab. She looked around trying to guess her admirer only to realize that there was only one other person there. Callie Torres, tall, dark, and beautiful, stood over a microscope. Cosima's eyes wandered down her body, the front hidden by her white lab coat but the back all the more accentuated.

Callie looked up to see the women across the way pursing her lips and tilting her head to get a better view. She coughed and smiled shyly at the other woman, watching as her face went red with being caught.

"I-I'm so sorry," Cosima said. "I was looking at, uh, the…poster behind you."

Callie turned to see a poster depicting the evolution of the skull. She turned back to Cosima and nodded coyly, not buying the story for a minute.

"I see you found my note," Callie said, spying the slip of paper on the desk.

"Oh, yeah," she replied, a nervous laugh following. "I-I'd love to get a drink. I've got a few things to wrap up, but maybe in a half hour or so? You look busy though, so I don't want to pull you away."

Callie laughed softly and smiled.

"I'd really enjoy that. I promise I look even better without the lab coat," she added with a wink.

Cosima laughed loudly as her face brightened again. She tucked a dread behind her ear and pushed her glasses onto her nose as Callie went back to work. Eyeing the note again, she wondered if she was getting her signals mixed up. She had met Callie a few weeks ago when the woman had come in to use the lab for research. She was developing a method of growing cartilage, one that had been successful in the past but could use a few tweaks. The university had a state-of-the-art lab and Dr. Callie Torres was taking advantage of it. As interesting as her research was though, Cosima found she was often more occupied by the woman herself. The way she worked from morning until night, her passion for medicine, and the strange way a tear rolled down her face every time she made a breakthrough, as though she wanted someone to tell but didn't have anyone.

* * *

The pair walked down the street to a bar, Cosima sporting her token red coat and Callie her leather one. They walked into the bar and Callie leaned over the bar top to order two beers. The doctor hadn't been lying about her body; her tight jeans showed off her legs and ass and a dangerously low top dipped to show the top of her cleavage and a black lace bra. Cosima licked her lips at the thought, not realizing she was blankly staring. The taller women turned her head and waved her hand slightly, pulling Cosima out of her haze.

"I am so so-"

"It's fine," Callie said, cutting her off and handing her a beer. "I get it. I'm hot. And you're into women."

Cosima bit her lip and smiled, taking a sip of her beer and hopping slightly to sit on the bar seat.

"And you're into…?" she asked, her head tilting softly and her lips outlining a soft smile.

"I…I like everyone," Callie said matter-of-factly. "I was married. Twice. Once to a man, once to a woman. One died on me and the other cheated on me. Well, they both cheated on me, but only one of them is still alive to discuss it. That's kind of why I came here."

She spoke quickly and Cosima listened as her voice became incredulous and surprising.

"I have a daughter. She's almost two now. My wife and I broke up the second time because she left me to go to Africa—well, this was before we got married, but anyway—so, I slept with my best friend, Mark, to try and get over her. He's dead now too. Sofia, my daughter, is technically mine and Mark's, but Arizona legally adopted her after Mark died last year. And then she cheated on me."

Cosima sipped her beer and listened, seeing the need in Callie's actions. She had been dying for a friend out here. She needed someone to talk to about all of this.

"That's…I'm so sorry, Callie. Life is just kind of fucking with you, I think," she said.

Callie laughed again. "And now, my kid is staying with Arizona until I come back because every time I see her I just realize that my entire life has been one big joke."

Cosima grabbed her hand, not in a romantic gesture, but in a friendly way. A way that let Callie know she had someone to talk to.

"Can I be honest?" Callie asked.

Cosima nodded.

"I'm really working on getting past all of this. I'm focusing on my research and my work because it's all I've got. And…I've been wanting to kiss you since I started working in your lab."

Cosima's eyes widened and her lips curled.

"Can we go to my apartment and…talk some more? I'd really like to just talk to you. I didn't want to hide my attraction, but I don't want to push away a friend. God knows I need one right now."

The smaller woman smiled and nodded again.

* * *

Callie unlocked the door to her small studio apartment that she was subletting for the month. It wasn't much, but it had a kitchen for her to enjoy and a bed for her to finally sleep after months of restlessness. She hung their jackets in the closet and walked into the kitchen.  
"Do you prefer red or white?"

"I'm a red kind of girl," Cosima responded with a smile.

Callie led them to the couch with the two glasses of wine. Handing one to Cosima and holding the other herself, she took a sweet sip and smiled, remembering the night she got Minnesota. For the first time in months, she had felt okay about her life. She needed to get it back together, but she had finally had the courage to leave Arizona, and that was the biggest step of all.

"Do you mind if I smoke?" Cosima asked.

Callie shook her and watched as Cosima pulled out a small tin. Callie raised an eyebrow and smiled.

"I haven't smoked pot since I was about 19 years old," she commented.

Cosima rolled her joint and lit it, taking the first hit and offering it to Callie. The older woman smiled and took it out of her hands, softly brushing them together in the process. She inhaled deeply and let the smoke drift through her lips.

"So, tell me about your daughter," Cosima said, taking another drag from the joint and a sip of her wine. She loved winding down at the end of the day this way, usually alone, but she enjoyed Callie's company as well as her cleavage.

"Well, her name is Sofia and she's two years old. I actually almost died when I had her…bad car accident. But, we both survived and she's incredible. I've been teaching her Spanish since she was born and she speaks it as well as English now. She loves drawing pictures and playing at the park. I…had to leave her for a while to come here, but the opportunity was too good to pass up. I needed to leave Seattle and get my head together before I go deal with my mess of a life again. It's only six weeks."

"Oh," Cosima sighed, offering Callie the joint again. She took it gratefully and smoked it gracefully, letting the smoke twirl from her full lips.

"Do you want to try something?" Cosima asked hesitantly.

Callie arched an eyebrow in curiosity and nodded. Cosima took the joint from her hands and took a long hit. She reached out and pulled Callie's lips to her, letting the smoke drift between them. She pulled away slowly, watching Callie's eyes softly open as she blew the smoke back out. Waiting for any signs of hesitation, Cosima reached over and put the joint in the bowl on the coffee table in front of them, still watching Callie's reaction. When Callie leaned in closer, Cosima took the hint. She leaned in, sliding her tongue over Callie's lips and tucking her knees underneath herself. Callie's arms wrapped around Cosima's waist and pulled her closer. Cosima straddled Callie, her dress riding up and her hips grinding down. Callie's lips moved down Cosima's neck and onto her chest. She moaned happily, hoping the moment wouldn't end too soon. She took her glasses off and threw them on the table with the joint, pulling Callie's face back to her own. She grabbed Callie's hand from her back and guided it down her stomach hoping she'd get the hint. The older woman slid her fingers underneath her dress. She slid her hand along her thigh and up to her center, quickly realizing she wasn't wearing any underwear and she was extremely turned on. Callie slid two fingers inside Cosima, curling them slowly. Cosima swore softly, letting her head roll back and her body take over. She came quickly and looked down at Callie, smiling.

"I…hope that wasn't too much," she said, watching the older woman lick her fingers. Callie smiled back, this time more seductive than last.

"It was great," she responded. "I think you owe me now."

Cosima grinned back.

"I can definitely handle that, Doctor Torres."


End file.
